Des Moines Area Community College's Liberal Arts Associate of Arts and Associate of Science degrees provide the flexibility and opportunity to get a solid start on your four-year degree while earning an associate degree. The courses listed below can be used to fulfill a portion of the Liberal Arts Associate of Arts or Associate of Science degree.

*These courses are based on the admission requirements for the Physician Assistant program at Des Moines University (DMU); only the courses that can be satisfied through DMACC are included. Program requirements vary by university. Please check with the Physician Assistant department at the university you plan to attend. Students who have not yet completed a Bachelor's degree should work with their prospective four-year college (see additional notes below).

**DMU requires 16 semester hours of chemistry, but only one semester of General Chemistry and one semester of Organic Chemistry; however, the prerequisite to CHM 263 Organic Chemistry I includes one of the following: CHM 132 Intro to Organic Biochemistry, CHM 175 General/Inorganic Chemistry II or one year of college-level general chemistry.

Additional notes:

In order to fulfill a Liberal Arts Associate of Arts or Associate of Science degree, additional courses are required. Please work closely with a DMACC academic advisor. Click here for the full listing of DMACC's Liberal Arts courses and degree requirements.

A Bachelor's degree is required for admission into a Physician Assistant program. It is important to work closely with your prospective four-year college and develop a transfer plan to ensure the courses you select at DMACC match your four-year degree requirements. For example: BIO 112 Principles of Biology I and BIO 113 Principles of Biology II are not required for admission to DMU's Physician Assistant program, but these courses are generally recommended and are often prerequisites to other biology courses required by four-year colleges.

Requirements for admission at medical schools are more stringent than DMACC's graduation requirements. Check with your prospective school for details.

DMU's Physician Assistant program now requires a 300-level (or higher) biochemistry class as part of their admission requirements. This requirement must be fulfilled at a four-year college/university.

DMU uses a competitive admission process to determine who is offered a place in their Physician Assistant program. They require a minimum 2.8 cumulative GPA for admission, but usually a higher GPA is needed. Admission requirements vary by school. Check with your prospective school for information on GPA requirements.

Applicants must also take the GRE as part of the admission process.

An additional requirement for applicants is practical experience. DMU requires a minimum of 750 hours of direct patient-care experience, but most applicants complete far more hours.